Kai Watson: A Tough Start for Sebastien Pocognoli
With a new, younger squad announced there was a lot of buzz around the start of the new Nations League campaign under new manager Sebastien Pocognoli. The 39-year-old is very highly regarded and started his managerial career at USG, whom he ended his playing career with.
He led them to their first title in 90 years in his only full season in charge whilst getting them playing aggressive, front-footed attacking football. Just a couple of months into his second season, he was approached by Monaco and headed for Ligue 1.
He would only last until this summer though with the principality based side finishing 7th in the league and he was replaced by another former left back in Filipe Luis. Just over two months later though and he was back in the game as Scotland manager, replacing Steve Clarke after his shock departure.
There was hype around this appointment due to his success at USG, his style and the fact that there was the thought that he would completely rip up the squad and start again, with no favourites.
That would come to fruition as the likes of Stephen Welsh, Robbie Ure and Luis Binks were called up for the first time, with all three making their debuts over the first two games!
The line-up was announced for Slovenia and it was exactly as expected, three at the back, two strikers and a ten floating. John McGinn would sit behind Robbie Ure and the, somewhat controversially, recalled Oli McBurnie in a system that looked built to attack and stay on the front foot.
The three at the back looked shaky at first in Ljubljana with Slovenia carving Scotland open three times in the first quarter and scoring one of those times but it was disallowed for offside. It took a while for Pocognoli’s side to grow into the game but Ure’s effort off the post at the end of the first half seemed to spark some confidence into the players.
They came out like a team possessed in the second half, they were much more aggressive, kept the ball better, and the short, sharp passes were actually connecting. It’s the best football I’ve seen Scotland play in a long time.
McBurnie and Bowie had excellent chances to make it 1-0 and both really should have scored but they gave away nothing in the second half and should have headed home with three points.
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The Switzerland game was tough, a ridiculous Jack Hendry foul in the 8th minute led to a red card and free-kick which the Swiss ultimately scored from and Scotland were up against it really early on.
They battled throughout the game and had a couple moments of quality but Kobel didn’t have much to do. The game ended 3-0 Switzerland but by the end of the game it could have been whatever they wanted it to be.
There are encouraging signs despite how the table looks, some of the football on display has been the most pleasing on the eye in years but that also needs to come with results.
There are two massive games coming up and Scotland really need to win them both to have any chance at a top two finish in the group.
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